


Dracula's Curse

by Winters_Red_Star



Category: Dracula Untold (2014)
Genre: F/M, Graphic descriptions, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-05-19 06:25:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5956974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winters_Red_Star/pseuds/Winters_Red_Star
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vlad has found Mina, but what is to happen now that he is being called upon by the one who made him?  Will Mina run from the monster she finds him out to be, run from the history of Vlad the Impaler,  from the monster that is taking over his body.  And what of Vlad, will he obey as he had sworn he would do, or will he find a way out from under the Master’s grasp?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you for taking the time to check out my story. It is also posted on fan fiction.net so if you see it there I put it there. I will try to update as regularly as I can, but I still have a life and some other stories I'm writing, so i make no promises about timely updates and I apologize for that now.  
> Anyway I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One: Lost Souls

“That’s my favorite poem.” Mina said as Vlad had finished reciting the poem to her. Turning and walking back to the man with wavy hair slicked back and stormy blue eyes, standing tall dressed in black. He smiled, but something in his eyes spoke of a sorrow that one could never imagine.

“How did you know?” she asked him.

“How did I know that was your favorite poem? I didn’t, I only thought it would e something someone of your loveliness would appreciate.” His compliment made her blush, and his accent piqued her curiosity.

“Where are you from?” She asked, earning her a chuckle from him, and his smile to widen.

“A long way from here.” Was his only response, but he seemed to b avoiding the question, so she let it drop, it wasn’t her business anyways. And before she knew it, he was walking by her side, and they were just, talking. Not about anything special, just talking. They talked for what seemed like hours, Mina enjoying every minute of it, and when she would smile, she noticed, he would smile in response, and would adopt a look in his eye of intense, deep longing. Soon they were sitting on a park bench, admiring the trees and their changing colors, dancing in the wind, standing out from the dark clouds. But when she realized the time, she had to get home. 

“Would you like me to walk you home?” Vlad asked, sad to see her going so soon. Never, had a man asked her if she would like them to walk her home, and she found, she rather liked it.

“Yes, I would like that very much.” Mina replied to him with a large smile. And seeing his eyes light up like a child’s eye’s would, she felt her heart give in to him just a little bit more.

 

Upon arriving back at her home, Mina turned around to look at Vlad, and since she was now standing on the steps, she was about equal to his height and could look him right I the eyes. And when she did, she was transfixed, his stormy blue eyes held her gaze, and made her heart race.

“Until we meat again.” Vlad said, breaking the spell that had woven itself around Mina, and bringing her hand up to his lips, giving a small kiss to signal his farewell. But before he could disappear into the darkness, Mina called out to him.

“Wait. How will we see each other again? I only know your name, why don’t you come by tomorrow night and I can cook dinner for you?” She asked him sweetly, hoping inside he would say yes.

Surprised by her invitation, Vlad couldn’t speak for a moment, his eyes slightly widening. But he quickly regained his composure, as to not keep her waiting for a response.

“I would be honored to be your guest, Miss. Mina.” He said to her, “Shall we say around eight then?”  
Delighted by his acceptance, Mina could only nod her head enthusiastically, already counting down the minutes until she would see him again. Vlad, seeing her happiness at his response, brought her hand to his lips once again, this time in a final farewell for the night.  
“Until tomorrow, then.” He said, and disappeared into the night.

Mina stood there for a few minutes, delighted by what had just happened, and she whispered, “Farewell.” Under her breath, thinking that he was already long gone.

 

XxxxxXxxxxX

 

After saying his final farewell, Vlad slipped into the shadows, but he didn’t leave her. How could he, after finally finding his wife again, he would not leave her for a minute if he could help it. And after hearing her whisper her farewell he was spell bound to her. That is, until, he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. And upon turning around, what he saw sent a shiver up his spine.

“Hello, Dracula.” Said the one who made him. Vlad was hardly able to keep his composure. This man, no, this thing, that had given him this curse, that had caused him to lose everything, now standing before him, after so many years.

“So,” Vlad seethed from between his teeth, clenching his hands in hatred, “We meat again.” This caused the master to laugh, something that sounded like paper being torn.

“Oh, I have kept my eye on you since the moment you drank your first drop of blood. I told you when we made our deal, that I would come for you one of these days, and I am here now to tell you that day has come.” This made Vlad look away from the one that had given him his dark gift, clenching his fists even tighter, cutting his flesh.

“That day may have come for you, but it has not come for me, and it never will. I am not your slave!” Vlad spoke, his voice full of disdain. But this was not what the Master was expecting, in fact, he had expected some resistance, but not out right refusal.

“You cannot refuse me! I gave you this life, and you owe me!” The Master huffed back at Vlad, “You will do what I say, or I will make your life hell.” Now his voice was filled with poison, full of a promise that Vlad would regret his decision.

“I can, and I have, now leave.” Vlad growled, his eyes glowing red with his hatred peaking, his skin graying and his fangs growing. This caused the Master to give a small snarl, but he then restrained himself.

“You will regret this.” And with that, the Master disappeared into the night, leaving Vlad hungry for blood.

 

XxxxxXxxxxX

 

For the remainder of the night, Vlad drank his fill of blood from multiple victims, relishing in the warmth and good feeling that came with it. But soon dawn came, and he had to go back to his home.

As the swarm of bats arrived at the open tower window, Vlad formed in the middle of the circular tower room. Closing the window and drawing the curtains just in time before the sun rose, but not soon enough to escape it entirely. Hissing and jumping back, Vlad held his hand as it healed, and once it did, he headed down into the main living room. There, he sat at the head of his large cherry wood table, thinking about what he would do next. He was not once the most feared man for nothing, and he would think of a plan to defeat the Master.

For hours he sat, thinking, planning, until he saw the time, 7:30 pm. Only half an hour left before he was to arrive at Mina’s home, to have dinner with her. Dinner, the thought made him laugh, so long had he dreamed of once again enjoying the company of his wife, and now, with Miss. Mina, who is so much like his late wife, he can once again relish in time spent with her. He had to change his clothes to, something he wasn’t wearing the day before. Up in his room, Vlad threw open his wardrobe doors and was met with his array of, black. Searching, he found his blood red silk evening shirt, and with that he wore his fitted black vest with black threading running over it, along with a pair of black dress pants, and finally his black coat. Looking over himself in his mirror, he deemed his outfit acceptable for dinner with Mina. Looking over at the clock again, he saw that it was now quarter of eight, enough time for him to get her some flowers, red roses, those were always Mirena’s favorite. After retrieving a bouquet of red roses, he traveled to Mina’s house, and knocked three times on her door.  
xxx  
Mina was a mess. Not only could she not stop thinking about Vlad the whole day, but she cleaned her entire house from top to bottom, twice. And thinking that wasn’t good enough, she scrubbed the floors on hands and knew to give them an extra shine. What is wrong with me, she thought, we’ve only just met and I’ve already invited him into my home, for dinner. Usually when I meet a guy we go for coffee, but...it’s almost like I know him, met him before. He feels comfortable, safe, like the only person who would ever be able to keep me safe and happy. Looking over at the time, Mina saw that he would be coming over in two hours, time to think of dinner. As she was making her way to the kitchen, she froze, she hadn’t asked him about his diet; what if he was a vegetarian, what if he had allergies? Better to stick to something safe then; salad, with spaghetti and garlic bread. With a reassuring nod to herself she continued on her way to the kitchen, she would need about 45 minutes to get the garlic bread just right, and a salad she could make now and stick I the fridge, and spaghetti, that takes just a few minutes, problem solved.

Setting the water to boil ten minutes before Vlad was supposed to come, Mina headed up to her room to get ready. Her blond hair was short, so that’s easy, she already had makeup on, maybe just touch it up a bit, but what to wear. Walking over to her closet, she was met with an array of colors, blues, greens, purples, pinks, every color. Maybe a pair of her jeans and a nice top, no, he seems to dress nicely, very nicely from what she saw yesterday, something more formal. Pulling out a indigo dress, a little longer than her knees, with a v neck and short sleeves, she felt a smile spread across her face. It was perfect, just wear some black stockings with it and it would be just what she was looking for. Dressing quickly, and touching up on her makeup, she finished just in time before three knocks resonated from her door.

xxx

As Vlad stood on her doorstep, roses in hand, he was nervous. He worried about how Mina would receive him, if she would like the roses, if she even still wanted him there. But all those thoughts were pushed aside as he hears he coming to the door, and when she opened it, he was shocked at her beauty. Her blue dress complemented her bright blue eyes, her short blond hair sitting perfectly atop her head, her red lips smiling at him.

“Good evening, Miss. Mina.” Vlad said smoothly, doing his best to cover his unease. “You look beautiful.” Mina, not picking up on his unease, smiled even bigger at his compliment.

“Thank you Vlad, you don’t look to bad yourself. Come in, please.” She said, moving aside to allow him to enter her home. When he walked in, he held out the roses to her.

“These are for you, I hope that you like roses, something about you told me you would.” Looking at the roses, Mina accepted them with a smile.

“Roses are my favorite, especially the red ones.” Looking back up into Vlads eyes, Mina gave him a curious look. “You always seem to know what I like Vlad, how do you accomplish it?”

“I like roses as well, and I always thought that the other color’s seemed fake, and so I brought you red roses. There scent really is unmatched by most other flowers, and when I saw them, I thought there loveliness would only serve to enhance your own.” Regaining his confidence, Vlad looked her in the eye, adopting an air of mystery that seemed to draw her in. Closing her eyes, Mina broke the spell that was wrapping itself around her again.

“I’ll just put these in water then.” She said, and retreated back into the kitchen. When she left, Vlad looked around her apartment. Her color scheme seemed to be red and black, just his style. The walls were painted a burgundy color, with black drapes covering the windows, a black sofa sat atop a red rug with a black coffee table with a glass top to go with it. Cozy, he thought, something that he wouldn’t mind experiencing with her, just sitting on the comfortable looking sofa, holding her in his arms as he read to her a book of poems, just as he used to do.

“Dinner’s almost ready.” Mina spoke to him from the kitchen, bringing him back from his memories, and drawing him to the kitchen. “I hope you like spaghetti. It seemed the best meal to make, seeing as I neglected to ask what you ate.” Looking up at him from over the cooking pasta, she smiled.

“Would you mind getting the plates from that cabinet?”

“Of course not.” was Vlad’s reply. Once he had gotten the plates he went about setting the table, and Mina brought over their dinner.

xxx

As the two sat down for their meal, Mina saw a chance to ask him more about himself.

“So really, where are you from?” she inquired, though her curiosity about this man knew no bounds.

“As I said, a long way from here.” Vlad replied, but seeing her face fall slightly, he saw no harm in telling her. “But if you must know, I come from Transylvania.” 

“Would you tell me about it, I’ve always wanted to go and study the history, or more specifically, one man in particular. In fact you share his name, Vlad Tepes.” At hearing his name, Vlad froze for a moment. She wanted to study him, wonderful.

“Vlad the Impaler, and what makes you so interested in him?” Vlad asked her, trying to be as calm as he could.

“Something about his story I guess. There’s so much debate over who he was; a hero or a villain. People think that because he impaled his adversaries on sticks makes him a bad guy, but what if he had a reason to do it, what if it was some kind of fear tactic. He had a family that loved him, that must mean that he was a good person, right?” Mina was gone, she was lost in the history, the history of his life.

“Men do not fear swords, they fear monsters.” Vlad said, “I believe that the Impaler did what was necessary to protect his people, and his family, even though he was betrayed in the end.” Upon speaking the last part, his grip tightened on his glass, nearly shattering it, before he realized what he was doing.

“How do you know that, nothing is known of his death, his body hasn’t even been found.” Mina asked, looking at him strangely.

“Speculation, his entire kingdom was wiped out in a matter of days, and his family along with it, what else could it be but betrayal?” He covered his slip up with, portraying no emotion towards the subject. Seeming to accept his reasoning, Mina changed the subject.

“So how is your dinner, do you like it?” she asked, not realizing how much she wanted his praise. Thankful for the topic change, Vlad smiled.

“Yes, it is quite lovely, you did a wonderful job.” He told her, making her smile all the more. As the two finished dinner, Vlad not having any of the garlic bread, they made their way into the foyer, where Vlad would bit her a fond farewell.

“Thank you for a wonderful meal Mina, I had a wonderful time.” Vlad said, bringing her hand to his lips to brush a goodbye kiss over her knuckles. But he froze when he felt his fangs growing, and quickly released her hand. Mina, seeming to see a slight change in his demeanor, ignored it.

“When shall I see you again?” she asked sweetly, looking up to his eyes. Vlad, who was now panicking, averted his gaze from hers, and tried his best to regain control over his body.

“How about the night after tomorrow?” he suggested, only wanting to leave now, for fear of what might happen if he didn’t. Thinking it over, Mina gave a smile and a nod of her head, to signify her approval of that date.

“Same time?” she asked, only to receive a curt nod from Vlad. Seeing that something had changed, she bid her goodnight to him, and he left, with not so much as another word to her.

xxx

Vlad, having escaped without harming Mina, went in search of the next person he could find, a pain in his stomach filling every fiber of his being. Finding his next victim, Vlad made quick work of draining their body dry, all the while thinking of what the Master had said to him.

He would learn to regret his refusal.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: New Beginnings

The morning after her dinner with Vlad, Mina met up with her best friend Lucy for a cup of coffee before there morning classes. They were both studying to be historians, Mina’s focus on Transylvania, Lucy’s on the medieval age. Arriving at the coffee shop, Mina looked for the familiar head of long blond curls, ad seeing her, Mina made her way over to Lucy.

“Hey.” Mina greeted Lucy when she reached her. Mina had always admired Lucy, her light brown eyes always sparkled with happiness, her bright smile with big red lips, along with her pale skin. Mina had always loved the way Lucy looked, and how she didn’t think she was better than everyone due to her looks. Ya, they were fast friends.

“Hey, “Lucy said back, giving her a quick hug, “I was wondering when you would get here.” She halfheartedly scolded, bursting into a smile, unable to pretend to be mad at Mina for long. But after closer inspection of her friend, Lucy could see that something was different.

“Well, what’s new with you now, Mina?” Lucy asked curiously. This caused Mina’s cheek’s to flush a little and to cast her eyes downwards. From these signs, Lucy could tell immediately, and her eyes widened as she over exaggerated her gasp.

“Oh Mina, who is he to have you so worked up so quickly?” Mina, knowing that she couldn’t hide anything from her best friend, had to tell her about the mysterious Vlad whom she had just men only two days ago. And who she had already had dinner with.

“Oh Mina, he must be special if you’ve already had dinner with him. You never do that with any man that ever shows an interest in you.” Lucy sighed, wishing that she had Mina’s good fortune, “When are you going to meet him next?” She asked with renewed enthusiasm.

“Tomorrow night, I’m not sure if we’ll be having dinner again or do something else, but we’ll see when he comes over.” Mina said sheepishly.

“Well why don’t you just call him and ask?” Lucy suggested, thinking it to be the most natural thing to do.

“But that’s just it, I don’t have his phone number, when he left last night, he seemed to be in a rush. Something about him changed.” Mina said, and looking up into her friend's eyes she saw confusion, so she tried to explain more, “Well you know how I said he would always kiss my hand when he greeted me or was leaving?” Lucy nodded, “Well last night he didn’t, I know it’s stupid bet he seemed like he was in pain or something.”

“Mina, just because he didn’t kiss your hand doesn’t mean anything, okay?” Lucy said to her.

“Ya I know, don’t make me sound like some rotten spoiled princess okay?” This make Lucy laugh, and Mina joined in with her, her worries about Vlad seeming to have disappeared from talking to Lucy.

“Go on, your next in line.” Just seeming to realize this, Mina went to the counter to order a French vanilla iced coffee.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Pacing in his room, Vlad could not stop thinking about what happened the previous night with Mina. How he could barely control himself at the end of their evening, usually he is in complete control. The Master. It must have been his doing. As Vlad’s pacing brought him over to the side of his room that his desk stood, overcome with rage he picked up one of the lamps that sat upon the finely carved dark stained wood and threw it against the wall, shattering it. With this outburst of anger, Vlad’s eyes were flashing red, his fangs coming out, which only caused him to become even angrier, since he was no longer in control of his own body. And looking over at the clock, he saw that it was midday, no chance of going out to satiate his hunger, which had been growing as well since the arrival of the Master. And so, with a sigh, Vlad tried to calm down as best he could, regaining control.

Sitting down at his desk, he rested his head against his entwined hands, just breathing, trying to remain calm. Looking over at the painting of his wife, Mirena, he sighed, feeling tears sting behind his eyes, demanding to be let loose.

“Oh Mirena,” he whispered, reaching a hand out to stroke the side of her painted face, her lovely smile still bright and beautiful, “What am I to do, I finally found you, and yet we are still so far apart.” His voice broke slightly, and he finally did allow a single tear to escape, before he quickly wiped it away, trying to regain his composure. But it was too late, his mind was already wandering back to the happy times with his Mirena.  
XxxxxXxxxxX

“Vlad, you simply must spend the day with me!” came the lovely, sweet voice of Mirena as she ran over to Vlad who stood at the table in their chambers that held his documents, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

“My Mirena, what has gotten into you?” Vlad asked with a chuckle, returning her kiss.

“It is a beautiful day outside and I will not have you shut away in here, you simply must have a picnic with me!” Mirena giggled. 

“I see that I have no option, you make one compelling argument.” Vlad replied, grinning at the thought of spending the whole day with his love.

“I’ll send word to the kitchen and have them prepare something.” And with that, Vlad headed out of the room to alert the kitchen staff of his change in plans.  
xxx  
Heading out into the fields on the warm spring day, not a cloud in the bright blue sky, Vlad carrying a small lunch with him as he watched Mirena skip in the open field, her scarlet gown blowing in the breeze. As she went on ahead, Vlad could resist no more, and chased after her, listening as her laughter joined with his own.

“Come on Vlad, catch me!” Mirena giggled as she ran from the man that had stolen her heart. Wanting her in his arms, Vlad made quick work of catching up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, drawing her close to him and he fell on his back in the field, both laughing. After a few minutes of enjoying the feel of one another, watching the trees dance in the breeze, Mirena perched up n her elbow to look into Vlad’s stormy blue eyes. Soon she adopted a serious look, she could always tell when Vlad was hiding something troubling.

“What is wrong?” she finally asked, and once she did, she saw his happy expression turn to one of sadness as he averted his eyes from her searching ones.

“Ingeras is getting older, he is nearly my age when I was given to the Turks. I do not want that life for him.” Vlad spoke softly, trying not to betray all the emotion that he felt within himself.

“Oh Vlad,” Mirena sighed sadly, bringing her hand to rest upon Vlad’s cheek, causing him to close his eyes and lean into her comforting touch. “The Turks have not entered these lands for years, there is no reason to fear for Ingeras, he will grow up within these walls, with his father and mother with him every day.” Mirena said this with a stern look in her eyes, and an authorities tone to her voice that left room for no argument. Looking back into her bright blue eyes, Vlad’s fears subsided, and he felt the flickering sensation of hope. Hope that she was right; hope that Ingeras would grow up by his side. 

“You are right,” He said, smiling faintly, “The Turks have not been here for years, I have nothing to fear from them now.” And sitting up, Vlad pulled Mirena into his arms once again, cherishing the feeling of having her close. “We should eat, I didn’t carry this food all the way out here not to enjoy it.” Vlad stated, lightening the atmosphere, and earning him a smile from his love.

“And what, pray tell, have the cooks prepared for us this day.” Mirena asked, moving from his embrace to better situate herself to eat.

“Look’s like some ham with bread, and grapes to go along with it.” Vlad said with a smile. And handing a plate over to Mirena they enjoyed a small meal and the rest of the day in each other’s company. Watching the birds fly freely in the open air, the trees dance in the wind, the grass rippling in the wind.

xxx  
Vlad sat frozen for a few moments, unable to move from his emotions that were running wiled. His eyes stung again, this time relentlessly, giving him no choice he had to let lose the hot tears that burned his cheeks as they fell in droplets on his desk. Finally, he took in a long shaky breath and ran his hands through his hair. He couldn’t think about this any longer, if he did, he would be undone. Looking back over at the clock, only two hours had passed, so there was no hope of going out just yet, and so he would have to occupy his mind with something else. A book perhaps...

XxxxxXxxxxX

Mina was dreadfully bored. Unfortunately, it was required of her to take a math class, and she found the topic to be extremely boring, not to mention that her professor was very monotone and liked to give long lectures about why this number is real and why that number isn’t real. It’s a number, Mina thought, it must exist then.

Resting her head down on her arms, Mina’s thoughts strayed to Vlad. The mystery man who had already captured so much of her mind. It as strange, really, he seemed so familiar to her, something about him. Whether it was his eyes, or his voice, she couldn’t tell. Had she seen him at a store or seen him on the street? It was frustrating not being able to place him. Maybe he was a regular at the market she visited, and maybe she had seen him there. Yes, that must be it. But Mina knew it wasn’t, and so it frustrated her even more, not knowing why he was so familiar. 

Why am I obsessing over this? Mina asked herself, annoyed that she was so concerned over a man she had just met. Never had she ever been so enticed by a man, she didn’t need anyone, not since her parents left her all alone in the world, and her she was pining over a guy. For all she knew, he would leave too, once he grew tired of her, just like her parents. As Mina began thinking of the horrible events from her childhood, she couldn’t stop the memories from flooding her now.

XxxxxXxxxxX

It was dark, so dark where her mom had shoved her, it was tight too, uncomfortably tight. She could hear the shouts of her father, yelling at some thing to get away from her mother, who’s bloodcurdling screams cut through Mina’s young ears like a knife. Mina’s eyes stung like a thousand bees were behind them, buzzing to be let free, and Mina let them fall, one hot tear right after another. Soon she heard a thud, and her mother’s screams had stopped, as her father’s tears now filled the silence, before they too, were silenced. 

Mina didn’t know what to do, her mother had told her to stay put, but for how long. She waited for hours, her cheeks stinging from her tears, until she could see the rays of sunlight streaming in through the cracks under the closet door. Thinking it was okay to come out, she did. Slowly at first, since her body was stiff from the uncomfortable position, but soon she found her way downstairs, and what she saw was engraved into her memory.

Her mother lying lifelessly on the ground, her father bent over the back of the sofa above her mother, his blood having coursed down the back of the sofa and mixed with her mother's own blood surrounding her. Both her parents were a pale grey, their lips blue. It was too much for Mina to endure, and she ran from the house screaming, not stopping until she reached her neighbor, an elderly woman who lived half a mile away.  
XxxxxXxxxxX

“Miss. Murray,” came the exasperated voice of he monotone teacher, “Are you with use today?” Mina, who was now wrapped in a torrent of emotions could only nod and mumble a small ‘yes’, before her teacher continued with the lesion. Sitting up straight, mina wiped away a stray tear, and tried to get her thoughts in order, but it wasn’t long before Lucy nudged her and mouthed, ‘are you okay’. Mina, not wanting to talk about her feelings at that particular moment in time, only nodded and looked away.

xxx  
Later that night, when Mina was at home with some time to herself, she decided to research more on Vladimir Tepes. But when she pulled up yet another picture of him, he reminded her of Vlad. He had the same stormy blue eyes, and his face was structured in the same way. Well, she thought, they’re both from Transylvania, so there might be a distant relation, there’s no way that they’re the same man. And laughing to her insane thought, she shut down her computer and went to bed. Maybe she would ask Vlad about it tomorrow.

XxxxxXxxxxX

As night fell with pouring rain, thundering with lightning strikes illuminating the darkness frequently, Vlad was freed to satiate his hunger, and so, he left his secluded home, and went to find a lonely individual, who would soon meet their end. Finding said person; he made quick work of draining them, feeling his strength return to him as he did. And not five minutes after he did, was there a presence.

“Was it not three days you resisted drinking her blood before, and now you cannot resist a day?” came the taunting voice of the Master. Hearing his voice again, hearing the meaning behind the words, made Vlad tense with rage. 

“Oh don’t worry, I won't let you kill her again.” The Master continued, a small smile forming on his lips. “Oh no, I think it’s time that I met the woman who set me free, so to speak.” At this Vlad whipped around, causing strands of his drenched hair to fall in his face, and rushed up to the Master, pushing him against the brick wall, cracking it. The Master only laughed at his lack of restraint.

“Don’t you SPEAK of her, don’t you go NEAR her!” Vlad shouted, his eyes becoming black voids as his skin greyed and adopted more of a translucent quality, his fangs showing through. He would only get like this when he was extremely angry; it’s what set him apart from the others, his difference in power and strength.

The Master had had enough of this. “If you think that you can fight me like this you are wrong, I gave you this power, I know who you are and what you can do.” He said coolly, losing all the humor that was in his voice a moment ago, “I may not claim you tonight, or the next, but remember, you...are...mine.” He drew out the last three words, sending a shiver down Vlads spine. And then there was pain, searing hot pain over Vlads heart. Releasing the Master, Vlad staggered back, gripping at the spot that burned, crumpling to the ground.

“Just so you don’t forget who you serve.” The Master said over the sound of the rain and thunder, as his flesh blistered and burned, and then he was gone. As soon as he had left, Vlad felt the pain rescind, and he unbuttoned the top of his shirt to look at what it was. It was a brand seared into his skin, the skin around it blackened, the burn itself deep. The symbol was of the Master’s long bony hand curling around a heart. Rage and despair filled him, and he slumped to his knees in the muddy water that had gathered on the ground of the ally way, and let out a cry that was filled with his despair and anger, sounding like the roar of a wolf, the rain unable to drown out the sound.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Mina awoke with a start, unsure of what had just happened. Sitting up she felt that she had been crying, but had no idea why. Wiping away the warm tears Mina looked over to her clock and saw that it was late. What was that? she wondered, what had woken her up? It almost sounded like an animals howl, but it was pained.

“Strange,” Mina whispered to herself, “There are no wolves in a city.”


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: A Starry Night

The day was a blur for Mina. Not only was it incredibly boring; sitting through math class, then philosophy because she was short on credits, she kept thinking about Vlad, about how she was going to see him later that night. She couldn’t get him off her mind, and it was showing.  
“Mina, are you listening to me?” Lucy asked, a bit miffed that her best friend hadn’t heard a word of what she said. Embarrassed and feeling slightly guilty, Mina blushed a bit.  
“Sorry Lucy, just a lot on my mind.” Mina apologized, giving Lucy her full attention now that she had been caught. Lucy, knowing all about her friend, could see right through her friend and knew what she had just been thinking about, and she adopted a knowing smile, causing Mina’s blush to deepen.  
“So when do you see him next?” Lucy asked, forgetting what she had previously been talking about.  
“Tonight.” Mina said sheepishly, a large smile appearing on her soft features, her gaze lowering, not being able to look Lucy in the eye, as she knew what she would see. A look that said finally you have someone you’re interested in! Now Mina really couldn’t deny her rapidly growing feelings; she was definitely falling for the mysterious man named Vlad. Tonight, she decided, she would ask him all about himself.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Walking up to Mina’s door, Vlad felt an air of confidence surround him as he prepared to knock. He was wearing a fitted black suit with a black dress shirt and black waistcoat with red needlework on it; this mixed with his confidence gave him an aura of a warrior standing victorious over his battlefield. Knocking on her door, he waited for a few moments, taking in one last breath to quell his nerves, but all hope of that escaped as soon as he saw her.  
She was dressed in a bright red; her dress was fitted at the top and flared out from her waist, ending at her knees with a sweetheart neckline and halter straps wrapping around her neck. She was simply beautiful...stunning, and as soon as he saw her, all the confidence he thought he had slipped away, leaving him wide eyes and unable to entertain the idea of giving her a complement.   
His intense gaze caused Mina to blush and look away, and being freed from her sparkling blue eyes Vlad was finally able to give her a complement.  
“You are truly breath taking this evening.” He breathed, not sure if he would be able to speak in a louder voice. The way that she seemed to emit an ethereal glow, she seemed as though she truly was an angel.  
“Thank you.” She giggled, stepping aside to allow him entry, “so what shall we be doing this evening?” she inquired sweetly.  
“Well, I thought that we might go for a walk, I know a nice place where the stars shine and the trees can dance in the breeze.” Vlad described, painting a picture in Mina’s mind. The way he described things when he was inspired, he could make anything sound beautiful.  
“I would like that very much.” Mina replied, her bright eyes never once leaving his warm ones. And grabbing a coat, Vlad held the door for Mina and they departed.

For tonight Vlad needed to make use of his car. He never really uses it, he never really needed to, but he had bought one just incase the need ever arose. And tonight it had. His car was a black 2013 model Corvette. If he was going to buy something, it was going to be nice. And it seemed to agree with Mina, she was surprised when she saw his car.  
“You, have a Corvette?!” she exclaimed.  
“Yes.” Vlad replied, proud that she was impressed with his automobile, and opening the door for her, he slid into the drivers seat and drove off to the grassy field that no one seemed to visit anymore.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Stopping the car, Vlad opened the door for Mina and helped her out where she was met with the slight chill in the autumn air, making her skin prickle. When she looked around, her breath was taken away from the beauty of what she saw; the night sky was a mixture of blues, the stars were bright and shining, with the full moon illuminating the grassy field that stretched on for miles, multicolored trees bordering the field. Vlad, noticing her slight shiver, grew concerned that she would be too cold.  
“Are you warm enough?” he asked her.  
“Yes thank you.” Mina replied, perking up at the sound of his deep, warm voice, causing her the blush slightly, something that Vlad was happy to pick up on.  
“Wonderful, then we go.” He said, his smile crinkling around his stormy blue eyes. And locking the car behind them, they walked off into the grassy field.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Okay, Mina thought, tonight I’ll ask him all about himself, his family, what it’s like in Transylvania, oh, an the likeness between him and the painting of Vlad. Tonight she would get all her answered. Walking beside Vlad, Mina felt safe and protected, her arm looped through his, just strolling, looking at the stars.  
“Vlad?” Mina ventured, glancing up at him, watching him turn to look at her with those blue eyes that turned her knees to jelly.  
“Yes?” he responded.  
“I was just wondering, we’ve been talking for a while now, and I’ve told you all about myself, but I still know practically nothing about you.” She rattled off, afraid that she would melt before she was able to finish her from looking into his blue eyes.  
Vlad was numb. He couldn’t think, he didn’t know what to tell her, should he tell her the truth, no, what was he thinking, he could never tell her, not now anyway, he would have to lie.  
“There’s not much to tell really, my mother died when I was young, and my father sent me away when I was about eight years old. When I finally returned I was a grown man, and he had passed away, leaving me in control of all his assets.” He summarized, sticking as closely to the truth as he could, he had not lied about his parents, just that he was sent to be a warrior and that he had killed thousands of people in the name of a man he never believed in.  
Mina was horrified, to think that he had been sent away at such a young age, never really knowing his father, and his mother passing away. She couldn’t help but stop and embrace him in a tight hug, hoping that he knew she wouldn’t abandon him like the two people he should have had did. Vlad was frozen, he couldn’t think the moment her arms wrapped themselves around his frame. She felt so warm, her soft vanilla scent filled him as he breathed in her fragrance, her body fitting perfectly against his own.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to reemerge those memories.” Mina whispered against his chest, pulling him tighter for a moment before letting go, savoring his scent of expensive cologne.   
“Don’t apologize for such matters that you have no control over, it is in the past, it happened a long time ago and I find it best to just forget the ordeal.” Vlad said with a sad smile, his eyes betraying the myriad of emotions that he was really feeling, but above all, Mina saw that he had no wish to talk of such things anymore, so she let the subject go.  
“Well you still have to tell me your last name.” She started, trying to change the subject, but still to curious to let it go entirely. And after a moment’s hesitation, Vlad answered her.  
“Lucian,” Vlad said, deciding that if he was to have a new last name, I would be that of the man who saved his child from the horde of monsters he had created, “My last name is Lucian.” Smiling at this, Mina’s eyes lit up, now knowing that the mystery man that had been plaguing her thoughts from the first moment she had seen him had a surname.  
“Vlad Lucian, I like it.” Mina stated happily, relieved that the gloominess from a few moments ago had alleviated. “And I have one more question for you, but you probably wont know the answer.” Mina ventured.  
Vlad, feeling quite nervous about more questions, only nodded his head.  
“When I was at home last night, I was just doing some research, and when I looked more closely at a few paintings of Vlad Tepes, I noticed that you have a strange likeness to him, do you think that you are related in anyway?” When she started talking about him and her research, she would always get a fire in her eyes that showed her determination to seek out answers, Vlad was growing to dislike that look, no matter how excited she seemed to be.  
“Unfortunately, I do not know anything about my distant relations dating that far back.” Vlad decided to just take the easy way out and claim no relation to, well, himself, and seeing her eyes brighten once again with the new knowledge regarding him, and he could not help but smile.   
“Come,” he urged, wanting to move past her questions about himself, “There is a spot just over there that provides the best view.”  
xxx  
Gazing up at the stars with Vlad’s arm wrapped securely around her, providing warmth in the chilly night, Mina felt blissful. Never had she thought that she would be simply watching the stars with a man that she was starting to know more about; the man who was stealing her heart. Sighing, she moved closer to him, enjoying just sitting in the field watching the bright stars sparkle in the sky.

XxxxxXxxxxX

It was sickening, watching the two sit in the field looking up at the stars. How could the one that was once known to bring fear and terror in the hearts of men, now just sitting there without a care in the world. He would have to change that.  
As the Master stood in the shadows of the trees, watching Vlad and the girl, he was planning on what his next move would have to be. He couldn’t get rid of the girl just yet, he could still use her for leverage, but maybe he could arise a fear in Vlads heart, make him remember that he is still a threat to his happiness. And so, the Master decided upon first introducing himself to the girl, proclaim himself an old friend of Vlad’s. He could give her information about his past; he could be the wedge to pry apart their growing relationship. Once he unveiled Vlad fore what he really was, once he got her to see the horror of what he is, and then, as her eyes show her utter disgust and betrayal, he would kill her right in from of Vlad, and break him once and for all.  
Deciding on this coarse of action, the Master slipped away into the shadows, but not before uttering one small sentence, that he knew Vlad would hear.  
“Not long now.”

XxxxxXxxxxX

For the past half hour, Vlad’s chest had been aching, and not just in any place either, right over the brand the Master gave him. It had been throbbing and the pain was only getting worse. And suddenly, he heard him, the Master. “Not long now”, he said, his dead voice like dry leaves crackling under foot. It sent a shiver down his spine, but then, the pain was gone. The Master must have left then, if he had been watching, that would explain the pain.  
Deciding that it was time that he returned her to her home, Vlad nudged Mina, stirring her from her thoughts.  
“I think it is about time that you have gotten back home.” Vlad said, looking down at Mina. He was completely entranced by her beauty in the starlight; it gave a soft silver glow to her pale skin, her blue eyes sparkled with warmth and happiness.   
“Alright, what time is it anyways?” Mina responded. Looking at his watch, Vlad saw that it was quarter to eleven and told her, much to her shock.  
“Really?! I didn’t expect it to be that late. It’s probably best that we do get back, I have a few classes tomorrow.” And after she said this, Vlad was on his feet to help her up, and the two walked hand in hand back to Vlad’s car.  
xxx  
Arriving back at Mina’s home, she turned around on the stairs, so that she could be about the same height as Vlad. Looking into his eyes, she saw his intense desire for her, but also his restraint, and, something more...almost guilt.  
“Good night, Mina.” Vlad said in that deep voice that could make her knees turn to jelly. And bringing her hand to his lips, he once again presses the softest of kisses to the back of her hand, making Mina wonder what his lips would feel like against her own. But as he was releasing her hand, they heard footsteps coming down the sidewalk.  
Vlad’s chest started to hurt.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This chapter includes graphic description of violence and death.

Chapter Four: Introductions

It wasn’t the throbbing in his chest that hurt him; it was the fear of what might happen to Mina. Upon hearing the clicking if the Master’s shoes on the concrete walkway, the tap of his cane, the small chuckle that would otherwise be inaudible to the human ear, Vlad worried about what might happen. If the Master was there to kill her, he might be incapable of stopping it, if he was there to torment him, it was working. A thousand thoughts and images ran through Vlads mind, his brows creasing in concern, his stormy blue eyes clouding over as he became enwrapped deeper in his thoughts.  
“Vlad?” came Mina’s sweet voice, showcasing her concern for Vlad’s sudden change in demeanor. But her voice snapped him from his thoughts, giving his mind something to cling to, none of the things he had been thinking had actually happened, she was still here, still alive. Vlad looked up and smiled, his eyes trying to show no worry for her safety, and she seemed to believe that he had just, spaced out for a second, happens to everyone.  
“I think that man is here to see you.” Mina said, looking over to the Master with a polite smile. Vlad paled, he had been right, this was the night that the Master would destroy his happiness.  
No, he thought, he has done this once before, and it cost me the life of my wife, he will not win again, Vlad promised to himself as he turned to look at the man that had brought him so much pain and heartache.  
When the Master saw Vlad’s eyes, he was slightly shocked to see that he had that kind of hatred in him, that kind of loathing. His stormy eyes steeled as they met his, flashing red, narrowing slightly, his skin greying slightly, mouth forming a firm ling.  
“What do you want?” Vlad said n short clipped tones; trying not to open his mouth to far, lest his fangs be visible and Mina were to see. But it was the way he was acting, that troubled her, he had never been like this before, so tense, so volatile... so dangerous. She would be lying if she said it didn’t frighten her a bit.  
“Like I told you, I have come to call upon you to serve me.” The Master said, a small smile playing upon his lips as he saw how much he was affecting him, causing him to move into a defensive position to try and protect Mina.   
“Perhaps now is not the best time, I can see that you have company, you aren’t really listening to me know are you?” The Master said, talking in a sarcastic hurt tone, but it turned to a venom filled one with his last remark, “Just remember this, next time will not be so nice.” And with those last words, the Master vanished, leaving a very angry Vlad, and a very confused Mina.

Regaining his composure, Vlad stood tall, letting some of the tension leave his body. Turning around to face Mina, he was not prepared to see the look on her face. A mixture of fear, confusion, and anger, her bright blue eyes brimming with tears that were not yet shed.  
“Mina-“ Vlad started but was quickly cut off.  
“No, I don’t want to hear it Vlad.” Mina whispered, “The only thing I want to hear from your mouth is the truth.”

XxxxxXxxxxX

Vlad jolted upright with a start, a cold sweat glistened over his exposed torso, his chest heaving with deep breaths. He looked around him for a moment before realizing that he was in his room, in his bed, his black satin sheets twisted about his body. A dream, it had been a dream, but how much of it was?  
As Vlad’s mind began to clear, memories of the night before began to resurface. He and Mina had gone stargazing out in the field, and he had taken her back home because she had an early start the next morning. Taking one last breath, Vlad closed his eyes ad ran a hand over his face and back through his hair, smoothing out his black locks.  
But something wasn’t right. It was only then after he had calmed from his distress of thinking Mina had met the Master that he realized his chest was throbbing. Looking down at it, Vlad saw that the scorched marks upon his flesh were glowing a dull red, before fading, leaving the marks even more distinguished than they were before.   
Closing his eyes and sucking in a breath, Vlad gritted his teeth, as he finally understood what had just taken place. That damned monster had given him the dream, and was probably laughing at him now. It made his blood boil; that was it, Vlad had to act now, or else he would never be rid of that creature.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Opening her eyes, Mina was met with a blinding light; which after a few moments she realized to be the sun. It was a beautiful day; the clouds were a puffy white, the sky a baby blue, birds singing their sweet melodies in the distance. It was peaceful, but wrong. The air smelled so clean, like there were no exhaust fumes from cars, no thick black clouds f smoke rising from factories. Realizing that things were not right, Mina started to notice that there was nothing that resembled anything of the world that she knew, and as she was turning, it caught her attention that she was wearing a dress. A very nice one, made up from layers of different fabrics, the top layer being a blue that matched the sky, with various white undergarments. Not only had she changed clothes, though, her hair had decided to grow from her short haircut to being long enough to reach past her rear end.  
As Mina continued to turn, she noticed a tall stone structure, and realized it was a castle. Well, a castle was better than standing clueless in a field, so she headed towards it; although at a slower pace from the different cloths and shoes.  
xxx  
Walking through the gates to the courtyard of the small town that lay before the castle was like nothing Mina had ever experienced before. The place was packed with people, some selling trinkets or food from small wooden tables, but the majorities were buying; it must have been market day. The smells of the town were mixed; around the booths, the smells were amazing, the fragrance of flowers, and freshly baked bread. But when passing an unoccupied alleyway, one might catch the smell of more undesirable substances.  
As she continues up towards the castle, Mina’s eyes were wide with splendor at all the things she was seeing, which unfortunately made her collide with someone, knocking her off balance, only to have the stranger grab her arm and bringing her close to steady her before she fell.  
“Oh thank you, I’m so sorry I wasn’t watching where I was-” Mina started, but she couldn’t speak when she looked up into the stranger’s eyes. She was met with those stormy blue eyes that she had come to love. “Going.” She finished in barely a whisper.  
It couldn’t be, how could Vlad be here, holding her so close to him, smiling down at her. She was brought from her reverie when he began to speak to her.  
“There you are Mirena, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He said chuckling.  
“Looking for me?” Mina repeated.  
“Yes, remember that we have our banquet tonight, and I know how you prefer me to not see you until you arrive, so I just had to catch you before.” He said, smiling and laughing as he did so, “You do remember?”  
“Yes, of course,” Mina said, “Yes I was just on my way back.” She lied, allowing him to take her arm in his and lead her the rest of the way to the castle.  
xxx  
Walking up to the door to their bedroom, Vlad turned to Mina before she could enter the large wooden door.  
“I shall await your arrival later tonight then, Mirena.” He whispered huskily, and before Mina knew it, she found his warm, calloused fingers tilting her chin up as he leaned his head down to place a kiss upon her soft lips. But before she could enjoy this small showing of affection, Mina woke up.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Mina’s eyes shot open as she jolted up in bed, her face flushed and chest heaving while she gulped down air. What was that, she asked herself, baffled by the extremely vivid dream she had just had. It was so real, she almost believed that it was reality, the way the sun warmed her face, the smells in the town...the kiss. Mina found herself wishing that she had been able to stay in her dream a while longer just to capture the full sensation of that kiss. She briefly wondered if that would be what it was like to kiss him for real, his surprisingly soft lips caressing her own, the gentle press of his hand behind her neck, pulling her closer.  
“Mina,” she scolded herself quietly, “It was only a dream, a wild one at that, being back in a castle.” Laughing slightly, Mina disentangled herself from her red sheets and laid back down to drift off to sleep again, hoping slightly to return to the dream.

XxxxxXxxxxX

It was so easy, it almost disappointed him. Giving these two dreams of his own creation was simply child’s play. Mina, she was just a human, unable to even identify when a dream is not her own, and simply accepting it as such. And Vlad, he expected more from him, but Vlad had succumbed just as easily as Mina had, although he did know it was him right away. No matter, he wouldn’t be able to stop him.  
As the Master left his perch that allowed him to look in on Mina, he found himself in a foul mood. Why did Vlad have to be so difficult? He had given him the power he had asked for, had he not, and had told him that this would happen, and yet he continues to defy him. If Vlad was so interested in this woman he could have had her, if he only did as he asked with no complaint. But no, he chose to resist me, chose to go against the deal that we made. Fine then, if Vlad would not just accept his role in things, he would take Mina away from him.  
A light rain beginning to fall, the wind picking up, causing the leaves that littered the ground in an array of oranges, reds and yellows to dance once again around the Master as he walked on in the deserted streets in the middle of the night. It was on nights like this that he could remember small things from his past, when he was still human...but he would never forget that night.

XxxxxXxxxxX

It had been storming all day the sky dark and threatening, the wind blowing violently, all sure signs of the rain that was to come later. But the work of the day had to be done, and so he had ventured out to tend to the animals and secure more firewood.   
“I’ll be back soon.” He promised his wife and sons, his younger self, preparing to go out into the weather.  
“Please be careful” came the soft reply of his wife, the woman that he had fallen for so many years ago.  
“You know I always am.” He said before slipping out through the door, securing it behind him. His home was a simple thing, it was just a small cottage with a few rooms, one for him and his wife, another for his four son’s to share, and one more for keeping a fire to keep the cottage warm. It was simple but it was home, everything he loved was there. And so, turning his back, he headed to the woods to collect more wood.   
xxx  
The rain had finally broken through the clouds, and was pouring down in sheets, the wind had picked up and was blowing everything around, thunder cracking overhead as flashes illuminated the dark world for seconds at a time. But he could always find his way back home; he could always find his way back to his beloved.  
The silhouette of the cottage was now in view, the sturdy structure a stark contrast to the changing sky and swirling clouds. Another flash illuminated the world, and something was wrong; in that flash, he could see the door hanging open on its hinge. He immediately dropped the logs for the fire and ran for his home, daring to hope that it was just his imagination, that everything was alright. But it wasn’t.  
Arriving at the door, he was met with the coppery smell of blood, copious amounts of it, the candles were burnt out, keeping him from seeing what was bound to be the worst thing possible. Another flash, and his fears were realized. The image lasted maybe a second, but that second was all it took for something so horrendous to be burned into his memory for eternity.  
His sons, each one, dead in a separate corner of the small front room; each with their eyes cut out, mouths sewn shut with their hands nailed to the walls and wrists slit, allowing their blood the run down the walls, their chests bear, showing a carving of three vertical lines: the two outer lines raised above the third middle line, making a V shape almost.  
But what was truly horrible, was his wife. She lay sprawled out in the center of the room, her clothing removed, strange markings cut deep into her flesh. Her eyes had also been cut from her, and the five pairs were laid out in a circle around her. But unlike his sons, her mouth was wide open, frozen in a soundless scream. The blood that had pooled around her had been dragged outwards, connecting the eyes to complete the circle around her.  
Saying it was horrible didn’t begin to describe the scene that he saw. He sank to his knees, eyes wide with the shock, with flash after flash of lightning bringing the room to life around him, torturing him more and more. But finally, with the seventh flash, he let out the most pain filled cry the world had ever heard. It stretched out for several moments, loud enough to battle the thunder that crackled in the sky.   
After he had voiced his pain, his anger came forth tenfold; he would not rest until he found whoever did this to his family and killed them in the most painful way he could imagine. These people seemed to have tried to summon some demon, fine, he would summon his own, and he would not fail his family a second time.  
He would become that which men feared, and he would destroy those who had a part in the destruction of his world.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Coming back from his memory, the Master had to wipe a tear from his eye, a tear he had long since thought dried up. He had known the pain of losing his entire family to a sacrifice, Vlad had no idea of the pain and loss he had suffered.  
But he would make him know.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Who Is He

It had been difficult for Mina to be around Vlad alone for a bit, it was just so awkward after that dream she had about kissing him. So for their next get together she decided going to a pub would be a good idea, and while she was at it, why not invite some other friends to come along, just so there weren’t any uncomfortable silences. So, Mina asked Vlad to meet her at Stoker’s Bar around 8pm. For now she would have to call Lucy and have her help with picking out an outfit and to tell her about her rather embarrassing dream.  
xxx  
“You kissed him!” Lucy all but squealed, “Oh Mina that’s so cute, when are you going to introduce us, I simply must meet this man.”  
“First of all I didn’t kiss him,” Mina huffed, which earned her a knowing look from Lucy, “I woke up before we could.” She mumbled, “And second of all, I was kinda hopping you would come tonight with John to meet him.” And seeing Lucy’s eyes shoot up with her famous I knew it smile, Mina rushed over to her closet to avoid having to look Lucy in the eye. “So we need to pick out clothes..that is if you’ll come?”  
“Mina, of course I’ll come, you know you don’t have to ask me twice, but have you told John?”  
“Well no not you, but you know John, always looking for good time I’m sure he’ll come.” And with that the search for cloths in the never-ending hole Mina called a closet continued.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Vlad was a mess. Mina had invited him to a pub to meet some of her friends, he had to meet people, he was horrible at that, now more so with the Master’s branding that throbs more and more and is only satiated for a short while with blood. But he had to push all that aside tonight, for he was meeting one Lucy and John, Mina’s closest friends.  
Dressing in a deep red shirt with a black waistcoat with deep red embroidering, with black pants and a black sports jacket, he was ready to face Mina’s friends and the sure questions about his past and where he came from that he would have to lie about, but he would base them on the truth.  
Glancing at the clock on his wall, it was 7:45pm. He wanted to be early so that he could see how Mina and Lucy acted around each other, and, if he was being honest, he wanted to listen in on what Mina might possibly say about him. It was shallow he knew, but he needed to know how she felt, he needed to know if she was still his Mirena.

XxxxxXxxxxX

By 8pm the pub was already crowded, but there was an open table for a group of people to sit at instead of most of the people being around the bar. Standing in the crowd of people, Vlad was well hidden from Mina as she walked in the door, with a woman whom he assumed to be Lucy. Mina was, of course, stunning, her Lips a bright red, with a light blue dress that fit her figure perfectly, but she looked nervous.  
“Oh Mina, Would you relax?! You're so tense!” Came Lucy’s remark as they made their way to a corner table with sofas that looked rather comfortable.  
“Lucy, Please be nice when you meet him.” Mina all but pleaded, “Please don’t cross-examine him tonight.”  
Looking into Mina’s puppy dog eye’s , Lucy let out an exaggerated sigh, “Alright fine, I won’t tonight,” but if listening to her heartbeat was any indication to the contrary, “But I WILL at some point.” Lucy threatened with a pointed finger and smirk on her glossy lips.  
Mina looked like she was going to argue, her eyes get that flame that she usually had, when someone, who couldn’t be alive, came through the door.  
“Mehmed.” He walked in the door, a large smile on his face, brown eyes full of happiness, his hair still the same. Seeing him made Vlad’s blood run cold, so to speak, he was starting to rethink this idea of meeting Mina’s friends.  
“John!” both Mina and Lucy shouted excitedly at the same time as he went towards them with open arms.  
“Well lady’s, what do you think.” He said as he gestured towards his clothing. He wore a fitted light grey suit with a lavender shirt with the top buttons undone.  
“Oh John you look fabulous.” Lucy said, feeding John’s ego.  
“Of course I do darling, now, Mina, where is this mystery man I’ve heard so much about?”  
Looking around, Mina’s brows scrunched together, “I don’t know, I don’t see him anywhere.” Vlad tried to ignore the slight disappointment he heard in her voice, he had to leave, he couldn’t be face with him again, if he was, he didn’t know what he would do. But Mina, her voice, sounding so sad, how could he just abandon her like that? Looking at the clock, Vlad saw that it was 8:15, he had to chose, was he going to leave, or stay.  
“I guess your guy’s a no show,” said Lucy with a hint of disdain in her voice, “What a guy, stands you up without any word...” Whatever else she had to say was lost on Vlads ears, as he decided right then and there what he was going to do.  
“Vlad!” Mina’s eye’s lit up like candles at the sight of him, and Lucy’s looked him over disapprovingly, “I thought you weren’t going to show up for a minute there.”  
“My apologies, but I was held up with an urgent matter at work, but it’s all been taken care of, and I came as soon as I could.” Vlad supplemented, hoping that it would be excuse enough. “Nothing was going to keep me away.” He added, reaching for Mina’s hand to place a small kiss on her knuckles.  
Vlad could feel the two other pairs of eyes fixed on him. A quick glance to his right, he would see Lucy’s unsure eyes, unsure whether to trust him, or disapprove of him. And to his left, Mehmed, John’s, eyes, filled with, what was that, some sort of affection?  
“Oh Vlad, This is Lucy and John, my two best friends.”  
Mina introduced after a second of awkward silence “A pleasure, to meet you both.” Vlad tried to keep his voice even and upbeat, but he could not help but continuously glancing at John, thankfully he was fast enough that no one could see.   
“Well hello handsome,” John said with a large grin while shaking Vlads hand, “I am so very glad to make your acquaintance.”  
“Down boy,” Lucy said with a laugh, “He’s taken.” At that John pouted turning a puppy dog glance towards Vlad then turned to Lucy.  
“Why is it the cute ones are always straight?”  
“Alright you,’ Lucy said as she pushed a moping John towards the bar, “we’re going to get you a nice big drink.” And before Lucy continued to push John she turned towards Mina and mouthed, now’s your chance.  
Mina, turning towards Vlad with a red face, only became redder as she saw the look of complete confusion that danced across his eyes. “Sorry about John, I guess I should have warned you that he is gay and very open about it.”  
Vlad, who had remained unmoving, and by accident forgot to breath, was so very confused as to why is enemy from a time long passed, who had gone to great lengths to try and kill him, was now hitting on him. But now that Mina was speaking to him, he had to snap out of his stupor. At the nervous statement Vlad let out a soft chuckle, Oh Mina you do not need to apologize to me for having a friend who seems to be in good humor. John and Lucy must be great friends.”

As the night wore on, and many drinks later, Mina, Lucy, and especially John, were all drunk. Not only were they drunk, they were flat out hammered. Mina and Lucy were sitting together sucking on the straws of their drinks starting with googly eyes at Vlad, giggling every five minutes and whispering things like, he’s looking at us, and, now he’s smiling, then John was sitting next to Vlad batting his eyes like he had the longest lashes in the world resting his chin on the back of his hand sipping his drink.  
They had been at the pub a few hours, at first the night was enjoyable, but as the night wore on, and the drinks kept coming, things became interesting and very open. At one point John even ended up in Vlads lap attempting to make out with him, much to Vlads discomfort.  
“Ahhh pucker up pretty boy!” John slurred in Vlads face, really letting him smell the alcohol in his breath, “Time to show you how a real kiss is!” But before John had the chance to plaster a sloppy kiss to the stunned Vlads face, Lucy came to his rescue to pull John away from Vlad.  
“Come on John, “Lucy huffed at John, who was now sitting on the floor, “That’s Minas job,” but with her being drunk, her mood changed from annoyed to giggly in a second, “Let’s go get some hot guys!” She squealed.  
This was of course a brilliant idea to John, whose gloomy face lit up at the prospect of guy hunting, and he pumped his fist into the air, “YAAAA, but I get first dibs on that one.” John said to Lucy, pointing his finger to a guy sitting at the bar. Looking over at him Lucy agreed that he wasn’t her type, and so the two were off, searching for their one night stand.  
Which left Vlad with a very drunk Mina, who kept staring at him and giggling. “What’s so funny?” he asked her finally asked her.  
This caused her to start laughing even more before she could answer her, “Your face when John was hitting on you, you looked like you would eat him alive!” After hearing that Vlad couldn’t help a little chuckle escaped him thinking about how true her statement was. But without realizing it, he set Mina off on a filibuster about whatever she was thinking about.  
“Your eyes are so shiny, but it could be the lights, maybe your eyes are stars, no stars are too big. Your back is so straight right now, is a rod holding you up,” at this point Mina looked around Vlad to check to make sure that there was, in fact, no rod holding Vlad up, “Do you think that the sky is held up by a giant? You look like you know things.” But before Vlad could answer her in any way she continued, but this time Vlad became more worried about the train of thought she was getting into.  
“You look a lot like Vlad Tepes. Like a LOT a lot. It’s kinda scary.” Mina said as she squinted her eyes and moved closer to Vlads face. He was sweating now, Vlad didn’t know that a drunk Mina was even more curious than a sober one. He didn’t know what to do, other than suggest that she get home to sleep off her drunken state. And that’s exactly what he did.  
“Mina, you’ve had quite a lot to drink, don’t you think that maybe I should get you home so you can sleep?” he asked her, keeping up a poker face so she couldn’t see how worried he was that she might see through him. But she must have been too drunk to hold a train of thought.  
“Ya probably,” she agreed backing away from him without a second thought, seeming to forget what she was thinking seconds ago.  
Letting out a breath, Vlad Helped Mina out of her seat, knowing that she would certainly fall if he didn’t, and helped her walk to the door of the pub, letting her lean most of her body weight on him. But once she was outside, she finally collapsed from the alcohol she had, and Vlad just picked her up and carried her to her home, smiling to himself at the feel of having his Mirena, his Mina, in his arms once again. Looking down at her as he walked, her head was rocking slightly with his pace, her face had a small smile on it as she snuggled deeper into his arms for warmth on the brisk night. It was late out, and Vlad knew he had to get inside soon, but not before he saw Mina was safe in her bed.

Walking up the steps to her home, Vlad had to rifle through Mina’s purse to find her keys, but not before he found a journal with paper sticking out, one of which being a picture of Vlad Tepes, a painting of him from long ago. Getting Mina inside, he took off her shoes and pushed the covers of her bed aside, placed her in her bed, and covered her up. He figured that when she woke finding herself in different cloths might make he uncomfortable, so he left her in her dress.  
Turning his attention back to the journal, Vlad picked it up and started to look through it. It was mostly filled with notes on him, and his castle. Some of the pages were dedicated to his son, only a few to Mirena since there wasn’t much documentation on her, but that journal was all about him. Vlad felt a small smile tug at his lips as he read how thorough she was, but that smile vanished when he reached the end of the journal, looking at her latest entry.

Today I met Vlad in the market, I know this isn’t a diary, but he looked so much like Vlad Tepes’ picture, I almost thought it was him, and when I heard his accent and found out he was from Transylvania, well it’s all just so much of a coincidence, I know it’s crazy to think that Vlad Tepes could still be alive, but he must be a direct descendent if he has such a resemblance to him. Maybe he’s Dracula, that would be something, It is said that Vlad Tepes was thought to be a vampire, but that’s ridiculous, vampires don’t exist. Its ridiculous...

Reading that made Vlad’s heart sink. So she suspected something wasn’t right, he was going to have to make up some documents to place him in Ingeras’ decedents, somehow make it look as though Ingeras had another child. But she already researched his family and how many children he had and their children and so on. A bastard, he could pose his family line with the illegitimate lineage to Ingeras. Vlad hated to have to soil his sons name like this, but he had no other choice, he was going to have to in order to keep Mina’s questions at bay.  
Looking back over to Mina, Vlad just took in her beauty, she slept so peacefully, but that was mostly because of the alcohol. He watched her for a few more moments until he knew he only had mere minutes before the sun would come up, and had to leave.   
Once back at his castle, he made sure to lock all the doors and windows, making sure not a bit of sun could get in, he had work to do, and it needed to be done before the night, before the throbbing on his chest became to great and forced him to feed more than he needed to just to keep the pain away.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six: False Faces

When Mina woke up, her head hurt like a bitch. The constant throbbing and sharp pains that pulsed through her head was enough to get her to swear off drinking, for at least a week, maybe even two. Sitting up slowly, Mina looked around her room, relieved to see that her curtains were shut tight over the windows. Looking down at her journal, however, it was open. She never left it open, frowning, she picked it up and looked at the page it was open too, and gasped slightly. It was the page she wrote about Vlad in. Now last night was coming back to her; how Vlad had carried her home, how he laid her down in bed, but after that she couldn’t remember, it just went fuzzy. But the realization was there, it had been Vlad that looked through her journal, and now he knows her stupid little thought about vampires. But then again, it wasn’t his place to look, she will be talking with him about this today.  
Looking at the time, Mina’s eyes bulged; it was already 2 in the afternoon. Whipping the covers so she could get out of bed, Mina immediately regretted that decision, because the quick movements was just not a smart idea with a hangover like the one she was sporting right now. But nevertheless, she eventually made it to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower, and get herself ready for the day, or the afternoon rather.  
xxx  
When Mina stepped out of the shower, she grabbed her phone to text Vlad, to see if he wanted to go for a cup of coffee, it was a beautiful day outside, and she wanted to talk to him about the journal.  
A few minutes later, he phone buzzed, Vlad had responded, Love to go for a cup of coffee, meet you in 20. Now Mina would get some answers.

Mina was surprised to see that by the time she reached the café clouds had blocked out the sun, it was going to be such a nice day and now it looked like rain. But she didn’t pay that much mind, because she saw Vlad walking up to the café as well, and she had things to discuss with him.  
Vlads face brightened when he saw her, and a smile grew on his features, “Hello Mina.” He said warmly, grasping her hand and lifting it to his lips to brush a soft greeting to her fingers. But his brow furrowed when he realized that she was only giving a halfhearted smile in return. “Does something trouble you Mina?” he asked, no longer smiling.  
“Let’s just get inside and sit down first.” She said, walking towards the door without a look back to see if he was following. But of course he made it to the door first to open it for her. Vlad didn’t have to have his heightened senses to know that he has done something, and it was enough for a cold sweet to start on his brow.  
“What would you like?” Vlad asked as he pulled out her chair.  
“A French Vanilla Latte.” Was Mina’s answer, and Vlad scrambled to the counter to order. For himself, he would only get a to go cup, seeing as he couldn’t actually drink coffee anymore, oh how he wished he could have a drink of that Turkish coffee once again.  
“Are you planning to leave soon?” Mina asked when she saw his to go cup.  
“Oh no, I just don’t like the cup’s they use here, I dislike using cups that countless others have used, so I just get my drink in a to go cup.” Vlad lied smoothly, and seeing Mina’s nod of understanding, she believed his lie, he was getting better at lying to her, and that only helped to make him disappointed with himself, lying to the women whom has stolen his heart, again. He didn’t say anything else, he could sense that she was about to start speaking, and he could tell he wasn’t going to like it.  
“Vlad...what happened when you brought me home last night?” That had caught him off guard, nothing had happened, he put her in bed and left.  
“What do you mean, I brought you home, and once I was sure you would be fine, I left.” His answer only frustrated her, and she began looking angrily through her bag until she pulled out...her journal.  
“No what I mean is this, did you look through my journal last night?” Looking at the small book that was now on the table, Vlad didn’t show any outward signs of stress, but he was running through his mind what he might have done for her to know that he had looked through it.  
“What makes you think that I would do such a thing?” he questioned.  
She didn’t want to reveal what her journal held within its pages, especially about him if he really didn’t look at it. But it needed to be done.  
“Because the page it was open to this morning was the entry I made when we first met.” Even just saying that made Mina blush slightly, how she hoped he didn’t know what was written on that page.  
“Mina, if I may be frank, you were quite enamored last night, perhaps you opened your journal and simply have no recollection of it.” Vlad supplied, and by the look that came across Mina’s face, a look of utter embarrassment of not having thought of that possibility, was unlike any Vlad had seen before.

“Vlad, I am so incredibly sorry for even thinking- well obviously I wasn’t thinking, I’m just, to think you would invade my privacy like that-sorry...” Mina rambled. Vlad had to stop this, he couldn’t risk losing Mina, but he also couldn’t have her apologizing for something he tricked her into believing.  
“Mina, please, it is quite alright, I completely understand your thinking that I might have looked within your journal, I did bring you home when you were in, a poorer state of mind, and I’m sure you don’t remember much of the night's festivities, or a least towards the end, so please, don’t apologize, only allow me to spend the day in your company and forget about this little quarrel.” Mina loved the way he spoke, with such a old, almost noble quality to how he chose his words and carried himself.  
“I would love that,” she says, forgetting about her embarrassment and instead focusing on Vlad. “What would you like to do?”  
“Now that, my dear, is entirely up to you.” Vlad said with a small grin, the stress of the situation leaving him, and allowing him to focus on the beautiful woman in front of him.  
“I know just the place.” Mina said with a sly grin.

XxxxXxxxX  
As Mina led Vlad through the streets hand in hand to their destination, she kept looking up towards the sky. Inspecting it, almost disappointed by it.  
“Mina, what do you keep looking for?” Vlad finally asked.  
“The sun, it never comes out anymore, not that it came out much to begin with, but now its never out at all.” She replied.  
A peaceful look came over Vlad, as he recalled how his wife loved the sun, how her skin glowed when the sun’s rays danced across her.  
“You should see my home, the sun shines brightly most days, allowing the flowing meadows of wheat to look like seas of gold.” Just the image that Vlad supplied for Mina of a sun kissed and made her smile.   
“Oh Vlad!” Mina exclaimed with excitement, “We’re here!” Vlad looked to where Mina was leading him, a small café filled with smiling people sitting on couches in front of a small stage area. “I think you will like it here, tonight's open mic night, so we can just sit back and enjoy some poetry and good coffee.” Mina was excited, it seemed to Vlad that she came to this place a lot.  
“Hey Mina, how’s it goin’” greeted the barista, apparently Mina came here more than Vlad originally thought, “Who’s this?”  
“This is Vlad,” Mina said sweetly, “We have recently begun dating”  
“Good to meet you sir,” the man stuck out his hand for a handshake, “take good of her, right mate.” It was innocent enough, his smile showing a joking manner, but Vlad could see under the man’s mask, if he so much as made Mina cry, this man would see to it that Vlad was dealt with. Vlad could appreciate a man like this.  
“The usual for you Mina?” he returned his attention to Mina.  
“Yes please, thank you Brian.”  
“And for you, Vlad?” he asked, still wearing his smile.  
“Nothing, thank-“  
“He will have the same as me.” Mina interrupted him, and with a smile, Mina walked towards a table with comfortable looking chairs around it.  
“I didn’t want anything, you didn’t have to order anything for me.”  
“I don’t have to do anything though Vlad, I did it because I wanted to.” Mina said with a smile, and dismissed the matter. But now Vlad was going to have to either actually drink or even eat whatever her ‘usual’ is, or come up with a good excuse as to why he won’t have touched anything.

A few minutes later, their drinks were brought over, thankfully there weren’t any small pastries that went along with her usual, lad could deal with a drink. As Brian placed the cups on the table, Vlad could sense the malice the man felt towards him, Vlad took a quick glance up to him, and the man was just barely able to throw on a quick fake smile to keep his façade of friendliness going.  
Looking down at what he was given, Vlad sees that it is what appears to be coffee with caramel and a hint of vanilla mixed in with it. Not to bad then, he would be able to risk a few sips of the drink and remain able to function as a normal person. Vlad takes the cup into his hands, and slowly brings it to his lips, that first dinner he had with Mina was hard enough, his body didn’t function to consume food or drink anymore...only blood.   
Vlad took a sip of the coffee, and as usual, he tasted nothing, but he smiled and told Mina that he thought it was delicious. But he could already feel the effects of consuming human drink. The mark the Master made on him, it’s only been getting worse, and causing him to need to feed more frequently than normal, he could only imagine how it would effect him with this.

XxxxXxxxX

The two spent a few hours at the café, and while Mina had a few coffees, and pastries, Vlad sat sipping on his first drink. While Mina was enjoying the poetry, Vlad was becoming hungrier and hungrier. The mark was now burning, the pain increasing with each passing minute. As much as he wanted to stay and enjoy Mina’s company, he had to go, he had to feed. Looking at the time Vlad made up an excuse as to why he was going to have to leave.  
“Mina,” Vlad captured her attention as a poem ended, “As much as I have enjoyed this afternoon, and would love to keep doing so, I am afraid that there is a business matter that I must attend to immediately.”  
“Oh of course,” Mina said, gathering up her things, “You should have said something sooner.” She said with a laugh. As they walked out, Vlad could feel two eyes staring at his back with venom and hatred, and with a quick half turn of his head, he saw it was Brian again, perhaps the best stay away from this place.

“Well good luck with your business.” Mina said as she took hold of his shoulders to stand on her toes and give him a quick kiss goodbye, and then turn to walk home.  
“Now if you think I’m allowing you to walk home alone in the dark you are mistaken.” Vlad told her with a smile as he started walking next to her.  
“But I thought you had important business.” Mina said.  
“No business is important enough for me to allow you to walk home unaccompanied, Mina.” Vlad said softly, and leaned down to kiss her again.

XxxxXxxxX

As Mina closed the door to her home, Vlad turned down the steps and walked to the corner, but once he rounded the corner, he was off to find someone to feed from.  
xxx  
Shutting the door, Mina smiled to herself, she really liked Vlad, she was even beginning to fall in love with him. Never would she have imagined finding a man as nice and proper as he is. Maybe he could even be the man she spends the rest of her life with, Mina liked that idea.  
Walking back to her room to change, Mina didn’t turn on many lights, it was her intent to just get in bed and read a little, then go to sleep. And turning on some music, Mina didn’t hear the soft click of someone picking the lock on her door, or the soft thud of it being closed.  
Light footsteps sounded down the hallway towards her room, careful to avoid making too much noise. They stopped right in front of Minas door, and slowly turned the knob to enter.

There was a scream and then silence.  
xxx  
As Vlad found his target for tonight, he was about to drop down and kill the man swiftly, but he heard it, a scream. Minas scream. Forgetting the man, Vlad rushed as quickly as he could to Minas home, hoping she was alive.

As Vlad reached her front steps, the burning from his mark was becoming increasingly more unbearable, but he had to forget that now, for Mina’s sake. Throwing open the door, he smelled the air, and charged to her room, that’s where she was, and him...  
Opening the door to Minas room Vlad was horrified to see that she was bound on her bed, blood was flowing slowly from a gash on her forehead, and a man stood in the corner of her room in the shadows. But Vlad could see plainly who it was.  
“Brian...” Vlad growled, “What are you doing here in Minas room?” Vlad wanted to know, before he killed this man.  
“Ha ha so you did know it was me!” Brian said, stepping out of the shadows and taking a seat on the bed next to Mina. Grabbing her hair he pulled her head to eye level, “Didn’t I say he was a smart one there, Mina?” She was barely conscious, and could only groan in a response to him.  
Letting go of her hair Brian stood again, “I’m here,” he said, gesturing around the room, “Because Mina doesn’t need you, she has always had me.

It was in that moment that time slowed down for Vlad, he was starving, and this man was threatening Mina and him, the pain on his chest from the burn was becoming unbearable, so Vlad acted. Before Brian could make a move, Vlad was already behind him draining his veins and satiating his hunger. As he did so, the pain lessened immediately, and he was able to see clearly.  
Able to clearly see the look of horror that crossed Minas face as she beheld the sight before her. Clearly she had come to after Brian had yanked her hair, rousing her from her state of unconsciousness, and seeing Vlad looking so...inhuman, drinking the blood of a man, she didn’t know what to think.  
Vlad panicked, all he could think to do was to try and tell her that he’s not a monster, and that he would never hurt her. But he knows that would do little good in this moment in time, especially when he doesn’t even look human, with his blacked out eyes and grey translucent skin, and of course the fangs...  
“Mina...” he try’s, but can't say anything further, the look in her eyes, he know she doesn’t hear him, he has to leave. Quickly gathering up Brian’s body, he runs out of her room and out into the cool night air, running as fast as he can back to his home and away from Mina...He knows he will never see her again.

Mina sat frozen in place. She did not see what she just saw, her mind keeps saying over and over again. Vlad didn’t just do what she think he did. But as much as she would like to believe it, she knows it’s true, that she did see that, that he did do it, kill a man, and drink his blood. Being as exhausted as she was from the toils of being held hostage in her own home, and witnessing something she cannot begin to understand, Mina collapses on her bed, her mind overwhelmed with everything, and falls into a restless unconsciousness, with nightmares of fangs, and blood.


End file.
